The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-03-06
THE LAW AND THE KITCHEN LADY.

oublc and private attention with more tenac- |
ity than ever. Wherevertwo or more women
are gathered together, be it on the street cor
ner in the church vestibule at the theater,
before the curtain rises and after, at social
the "hired girl is a topic
sure to be preached, and as sure to set ali
tongues to running In another grade of So
siety the manners Of the mistress is an equally
reaches not lack to the time when this was
not 50; but when the subject is one that en-
cages masculine attention as well, then its
absorbing Importance is realized. When the
heads Of households, the male heads, enter
into anxious confab on the street-cars over
the failings of their respective cooks and
house maids, and in search for new servants,
become perambulating intelligence Offices,
Shen is it realized that the matter is beeom-
ing great issue. Not only is this general
concern indicated in the way mentioned, but
in the absence Of subjects of more thrilling
in a number of Eastern newspapers, those
in the West being still too much
occupied with politics, Insane Asylum inves-
LEGATIONS and the like, to attend to reform in
the kitchen. The great editors Of those virile
sheets. the New York Post, the Boston Tran
script and others, have thrown the light of
their intellects upon the problem, and in the
columns of their papers discussions have ragged
with great earnestness, not to say violence,
mistress and maid having been given equal
opportunity for free speech concerning their
respective rights and wrongs.
One feature of the controversy, and one
that is to be observed in all arguments upon
the question by one of the parties directly in
terested, is that the representatives of the re-
spective classes regard their opponents as nat
ural enemies, to be brought to proper behav
ior, if at all, by forcible rather than by con-
ciliatory means. The preponderance of testi-
nony as given in these communications, goes
to show that house servants are suffering
race; that employers are a tyrannical race,
given to devising new methods of depressing
their 'help," and that constant watchfulness
is required to circumvent their plans for rul-
ing their own hoseholds. This weight
Of testimony on the part of
the cook and chamber is posi-
bly, due to the circumstance that
they have used this opportunity for free
speech with more eagerness than their mis-
tresses, and have spoken with more plainness
and volubility. 1t is characteristic of the
90 uncertainty as to its desires. Servant girls
being supposed TO represent labor, this ten
dency tooverwhelm and silence the employers
is merely u development Of the prevailing
phenomenon. The mstresses of the house
holds in which the complaining maids serve
stand for capital and monopoly and must
therefore, be intimidated and kept in proper
subsection. The maids do not say this in so
many words, but such is the inference to be
curiously enough, however, in all the dis
ssions no plan is suggested whereby this
,remacy, now only partially enforced, is to
strengthened and maintained. All the
ttention and influence of the disconnected
nottingham is now turned to securing legal
measures for redressing his grievances, but
~ IL l. !. r n
this aid in establishing her authority.
With hboring men demanding the pas,
sage of laws limiting the number oil
hours they shall be required to work,
the pay they shall receive when they shall
secure it, and allowing them to say who snail
and shall not accept employment it is rattle,
strange that the kitchen maid has not looked
to accommodating Legislatures for the fur
therance of her claims 1t is scarcely neces
gary to provide by law that skill shall count
for nothing in the matter of wages, and thai
the awkward and ignorant foreigner shall
receive equal pay with the experienced anc
intelligent woman -of-all- work-it is not abso
tutely necessary to make this legal enact
ment, since it is q rule which has long beer
enforced by the servants themselves. Still
Is some householders are inclined to rebel a
paying high wages to unskilled labor, it ma,
be as well to make the rule obligatory.
manufacturers can be compelled to pay thei
employees at specified intervals then why
should not heads Of families be required t
settle with their "help' as often as once, O.
even twice q week. or, for that matter ever,